Construction of the Fallen Heroes Memorial keeps moving along at Jesse James Park, north of Kearney. The foundation is being prepared and constructed in anticipation of the monument placement.

Future generations will have a single place to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice made by 17 local men far too long forgotten. Their names make the memorial personal, showing the human impact of war on a community and establishing a physical bond with its residents.

As a tribute to these fallen heroes, KPGZ News will publish biographies of the soldiers as provided by Rich Kolb of the Kearney-Holt Fallen Warriors Memorial.

William Price Dykes

Birthplace and date: Holt, Clay County, May 31, 1926

Home of record: Holt, Clinton County

William lived in Kearney as a child and worked on the family farm while growing up. He had four brothers and a sister, who died very young. He entered the Army at Fort Leavenworth on Oct. 3, 1944.

Dykes fought in the Pacific’s costliest battle. His 32nd Infantry Regiment landed on Okinawa, April 1, 1945, and participated in the struggle for the southern portion of the island. After a month of combat, the 32nd was relived on line May 1. Back in the deadly mix, the regiment ran into Japanese strongpoints covering the Shuri Line fortifications by May 26. The battle for Hill 95 began June 5, with the 32nd storming and taking it June 11. Next came the unit’s capture of Hill 89 near Mabuni. But five days before that objective was achieved, Dykes was killed on June 16. In 82 days of fierce combat, the 7th Infantry Division sacrificed 1,058 lives in helping take Okinawa. No Army division counted more men killed in action in the Pacific Theater.

All the Americans, along with others, killed in the battle are commemorated on the memorial walls of the massive Cornerstone of Peace Park located on Mabuni Hill in Itoman City on Okinawa. Set in a national park, this far-ranging tribute was dedicated June 23, 1995.

John Wilson Hagen

Birthplace and date: Clay County, June 26, 1921

Home of record: Kearney, MO

John was working for BC McMillan when he enlisted in the Army on Feb. 19, 1942. After paratrooper training, he was assigned to the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) of the famed “Screaming Eagles” Division. In mid-October 1943, Hagan arrived in England where the division spent seven months preparing for the invasion of Europe.

On June 6, 1944, the 101st jumped at night into Normandy. Two days later, the 502nd became engaged in heavy combat on the causeway as the unit enveloped the city of Carentan, France. The paratroopers forced the Germans to withdraw in one of the division’s most famous battles. But at a high price: GIs dubbed the causeway “Death Alley” and “Purple Heart Lane.” By month’s end, Hagan’s outfit was in Cherbourg and two weeks later back in England.

Next came the invasion of Holland. On September 17, the 101st parachuted in as part of Operation Market Garden. The 502nd’s mission was to guard drop zones B and C for glider landings. A major objective of the operation was to seize the bridges at Veghel and Zon, north of Eindhoven. In doing so, units had to contain German counterattacks toward Zon on September 19, the day Hagan was killed. The 16-mile stretch of road seized earned its epithet, “Hell’s Highway.” Hagan’s regiment, the 502nd, ended the war with 465 men killed in action. Monuments in 25 towns in the Netherlands remember the campaign, including the Operation Market Garden 101st Airborne Division Parachute Monument in Nijnsel.

The memorial in Jesse James Park will serve as a permanent site of remembrance, a focal point for Memorial and Veterans Day activities. Remembering the names and lives of those who gave all is a sacred obligation, and today all three communities can be proud that this debt has been symbolically paid in full. The Memorial will be dedicated on Memorial Day, 2024.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story